Erica Verrillo has written seven books and published five. She doesn't know why anyone with an ounce of self-preservation would ever want to publish. But, if you insist on selling your soul to the devil, learn how to do it right: marketing, literary agents, book promotion, editing, pitching your book, how to get reviews, and ... most important of all ... everything she did wrong.
In the interests of protecting the right to free speech, she did not vote for Trump.
#NotMyPresident

Friday, February 22, 2013

Like a great dance partner, punctuation
adds rhythm, flow and spice to writing.

It allows the reader
to glide through a piece of prose naturally. Poor punctuation
bogs down a reader. It confuses and can deaden a lively experience:
It grates on the soul.

Fixing common punctuation mistakes
does not take a doctorate, although many might argue that the whole
murky endeavor is best left to nerdy copyeditors and grammarians.

The rules of punctuation are complex. However, even without
knowing them, it is possible to tell when a comma or period is needed
by reading S-L-O-W-L-Y out loud with a great deal of expression.

Pick a favorite orator and imitate
their delivery style while reading. Commas should be inserted in
places where one breathes or feels hesitation mid-thought. As silly
as it sounds, it helps.

How do writers know when they reach
the end of a complete thought? When reading out loud, a writer’s
voice will naturally drop down in volume and pitch at the end. At
that point, it is best to stop and pencil in a period. The buck stops
with a period. Periods are like traffic cops. They tell the reader to
stop right here.

Commas can work like parentheses and dashes.
They can work in pairs to offset a phrase that, while important, is
unnecessary to the flow of the sentence. While each of these pairs of
punctuation can work in the same way, each kind adds a different
level of “volume.”

Dashes in pairs add a shout to a
sentence. They – like hot peppers – are best used sparingly.
That’s because readers don’t like to be yelled at.

Parentheses
add a whisper (call it a secret) to a sentence. Yet, like dashes,
they can grow tiresome, similar to the insistent tug of a child who
wants to leave.

A pair of commas adds a nearly invisible
aside, like this, to a sentence. Notice how transparent the commas
are in that sentence. They interrupt quietly, without drawing
attention to themselves or the phrase they contain. They’re polite,
unassuming, like a genteel relative.

A second common use of
the comma has to do with time-bound phrases called conditional,
dependent or subordinate clauses.

If a sentence begins with
the word “if,” then a comma will be needed just before the word
“then.” That sentence shows it.

Whenever a sentence
begins this way, a single comma will be needed in the middle of it.
If a sentence begins by setting up conditions, the comma is placed
just before the heart of the sentence. That is yet another example of
the conditional clause.

Forgive me, Dear Reader, for I am
about to sin. Run-on sentences stuff two or more complete thoughts
between a single capital letter and period it is just awful to read
them. What a train wreck. They evoke seasickness in the reader.
They’re like really bad dates who never stop talking long enough
for either party to breathe.

There are three common types of
run-on sentences and four simple ways to fix them. The fixes,
happily, are powerful sentence constructions in their own right.

The next type of run-on may be harder to spot: Complete
thought, complete thought. Remember: Commas don’t separate complete
thoughts. Periods do. Exchange the comma for a period, and where two
ideas leaned against each other wobbling unsteadily on the dock, two
sturdy sentences will be firmly anchored.

The last type of
run-on is the easiest to fix but may be the hardest to spot: Complete
thought and complete thought. That “and” in the middle could
easily be switched with “or,” “but,” “yet,” “so” or
“nor.” Simply add a comma before the conjunction, and the
sentence will now work like a well-oiled machine. Complete thought,
and complete thought.

Hmm, that was three types of run-ons
but just two fixes. It was not a ruse: There are two more excellent
ways to fix run-ons. However, they require the introduction of,
horrors, the colon and the semicolon.

In its Zen way, the
semicolon both separates and connects thoughts. It’s a great
catalyst and networker. Like the period, it can be tossed in between
complete thoughts. It works particularly well when the thoughts are
closely linked; notice how it works here. Some people like to use
semicolons; others prefer periods. It’s seamless, yet adds space;
the semicolon is nearly ethereal.

Perhaps because of its
unfortunate name, the colon is a sadly misunderstood and underused
punctuation mark: It deserves better. In fact, colons make great
messengers. They come in on horseback and bring trumpets and drum
rolls heralding important news from far away.

A colon placed
between two complete thoughts adds punch to the second thought. It
works like the lights on the marquis of a movie theater, adding drama
to whatever comes next. Therefore, the colon is best used when the
second thought is more important than the first.

Here’s a rule unique to the colon:
Capitalize the word that follows the colon if it’s the beginning of
a complete thought. That convention gives the colon panache.

A
word to the wise: Never use exclamation points in formal writing!
They're like pompous generals who are in love with themselves.

How
to end a column about punctuation?

A period might be the best
choice, but an ellipsis is ever so tempting. It beckons with a Mona
Lisa smile and trails off like an attractive stranger across the
room, holding out promise and mystery. . .

Friday, February 15, 2013

This is my story. You've heard it all
before. But I'm hoping that when you're having your coffee and
cookies you'll reflect upon my experience – and keep an open mind.

It all started when print publishers
got sideswiped by Amazon. I was finishing a book, and, having had
several ruinous relationships with publishers (I'm working on those
issues), I decided to break the pattern. Why repeat the bitterness,
the frustration, when I could simply jump ship and take the easy way
out? It all seemed so simple at the time. No more deadlines, no more
subtexts in what I'd hoped would be casual encounters, no more
editorial blows to my self-esteem. All I had to do was “upload.”

This is a mistake we all make when
confronted by our personal demons. We take shortcuts.

Before I knew it, I had gotten my book
epublished. Suddenly, reality hit. I had forgotten all about the
perks of a long-term relationship – the in-house marketing
department, the chain of distribution, legitimate reviews, free ISBN
numbers. Worst of all, I had forgotten about book promotion. I'd have
to do it all myself.

My first step was to launch a website,
which I did after considerable, and unnecessary, expenditure. I was
in the hole now, but it wasn't enough – it's never enough. I needed
more. I needed a platform, exposure, a strong author presence. So ...
I began to blog.

(Excuse me. Does anyone have a tissue?)

It was just one blog, at first. I
thought it would be a simple reiteration of work I'd already done -
an easy cut-and-paste, with no commitment to originality. I figured
two, three blogs a week, and I'd develop my Internet presence. Before
I knew it, I was blogging almost daily. My self-concept had expanded,
and my author image was changing.

I needed another blog, and then
another. Soon I was blogging about everything: my books, my recipes,
my parakeet, Thomas Jefferson. I created alter egos, misleading
avatars. I could no longer put my real name on anything I blogged for
fear that stopping would affect my author brand. Just trying to remember
all my sign-in names was exhausting.

All at once, it dawned on me. What if
nobody was reading my blogs? I installed Google Analytics, and, sure
enough, I was a solitary blogger. Nobody even knew that I existed.

That was the beginning of the end. I
joined several writers' groups whose sole purpose was to promote one
another through their blogs. We fed, constantly, on each other's
habits, meeting on dim, smoke-filled forums, boards, chats. I began
to guest post.

(I heard that giggle. Don't judge me until you've blogged.)

It still wasn't enough. According to
the visitor flow chart on Google Analytics, very few people were
being driven to my website. I had to drive them. I knew it was
base, reprehensible, unforgivable - and I make no excuses for my
behavior - but I began to adjust my taglines to suit my hypothetical
audience. I even watched Supernatural, so I could blog about
horrid, vapid television shows written by dyslexic ten-year-olds, but which
were popular among the bloghopping set.

Finally, in a desperate attempt at blog
exposure, I started to add my blogs to blog directories. It was
getting expensive, but what was $39.95 here, $49.95 there, for a
first-page listing? I pinged.

By this time, I had forgotten all about
my eBook, which technically had now cost me several thousand dollars
if you included the fees for Google Adwords, priority listings on
blog directories, and upgrades. At this point, I was in deep denial.
The book no longer mattered. My bills went unpaid. My house was a
mess. My Amazon reviewer rank slid five hundred points. Nothing
mattered.

I blogged about that.

To make this long story even longer, I
wound up passed out in a gutter in South Philly, lying in a pool of
my own vomit, pieces of my laptop scattered across the wet pavement.
Miraculously, I still had my cellphone. I autodialed my son's number,
and when his sweet, innocent voice came on the line I began to sob, “I don't understand how to post on Tumblr...”

Friday, February 8, 2013

Romance novels are arguably the most economically successful of all fiction genres. According to Romance Writers of America, romance books bring in a whopping 1.3 billion dollars a year, more than mystery novels, science fiction and fantasy combined. It's no wonder that more than half of all new fiction is comprised of romance novels. (This statistic is borne out by Amazon's top ten bestsellers – both free and paid – half of which are romances.) Not surprisingly, 90% of the market for romance novels is comprised of women.

If you are thinking of becoming a romance writer, the competition will be stiff. But by the same token, with over 30 million dedicated readers, there is always room for more. This is one market that will never be saturated. But, even with that uplifting thought in mind, romances, like any other genre, need to be marketed. These are the best sites to help you ensure your romance is a success.

Stephie Smith (who describes herself as a "Database Administrator for a software systems and services company... oh, and, yeah, I write") has put together this excellent general resource for romance writers.

This site has everything you need to get your romance off the ground – book review sites, online resources for period romances, book news, and general writing resources.

Site features: An incredibly well-organized spreadsheet of contests, including sponsor, cost, eligibility, dates and genre (genres other than romance are also listed); general writers' resources, publishing and promoting your book, grammar, agents, epublishing, script writing, romance writing; romance book review sites; and some wonderful historical resource sites, including period costumes, coinage, ships and, of course, pirates. Be sure to check out Stephie's fabulous links.

Blogrank – an extremely useful site for investigating any type of blog – ranks blogs according to the number of unique visitors, RSS feeds, Alexa ranking, monthly visitors and various other criteria. Visitors to some of these blogs number in the millions. A number of these high-profile blogs review books, others allow guest bloggers. If you want to get noticed in the romance community, this is a good venue to pursue. Posting a guest article on one of these blogs will guarantee traffic to your site. (Scroll down to the bottom of the link to see the other genres ranked by Blogrank.)

Writer's Digest named Romance Junkies one of the “101 Best Web Sites for Writers” for three years running. Romance Junkies is an impressive site, with written reviews, interviews, trailers, bloghops and contests. With over one million hits per month, this is one of the most heavily trafficked romance review sites on the net.

Site features: Reviews of romance novels, author bios and spotlight, a “cocktail hour” with featured writers, contests, free reads, a writer's corner offering information on Indie publishing, critique partners, and articles about the craft of writing. Submissions by paper or PDF attachment: http://www.romancejunkies.com/contact.html

This is an excellent website put together by Avon author, Jenna Peterson. Here you will find links to publishers and agents who accept all kinds of romance, writing tips, research and marketing links. The information on publishing is particularly useful for writers – of any genre – who are trying to break into the print market.

Site features: Extensive list of agents representing romance writers with links to their submissions pages, a complete list of romance publishers (including electronic publishers, a large-print library and Christian presses). Also includes a very useful submission checklist with detailed instructions for contacting agents and publishers as well as a great list of links covering every aspect of the publishing industry.

If you are a romance author, this is the organization for you. The RWA, a nonprofit association, represents more than 10,250 writers and publishing industry professionals in 145 chapters offering local or special-interest networking and education. RWA hosts an annual national conference and contests and awards for both published and unpublished writers. Membership includes subscription to the monthly Romance Writers Report, and access to lists of approved agents and publishers.

The Paranormal Romance Guild, AKA ("PRG") supports and promotes authors of the paranormal romance genre through the organization's website and special events. The Paranormal Romance Guild (PRG) was officially recognized on October 31,2009. The PRG is a non-profit organization.

The site features a blog, submissions for reviews, a list of author members, a list of accredited agents specializing in paranormal romance, preferred publishers, preferred artists, and more.

Membership of $50 a year includes participation in NY Times and USA Today author interviews and chats, book promotion on other sites, "beta" readers, access to a forum for author critiques, information on upcoming contests, and more. Free membership is also available.

Additional sites of interest

Romantic Times Book Reviews - RT reviews every romance novel published, including every sub-genre - mystery, sci-fi, horror, historical - you name it.

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books - "All of the romance. None of the bullshit." This is a cool site, and a must for romance readers. They've appeared in USA Today, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Metro:New York, Salon, and ... wait ... Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. "Smart Bitches Trashy Books began in 2005 as a community of romance readers eager to talk about which romance novels rocked their worlds, and which ones made them throw the book with as much velocity as possible. Since then our site has grown to include a community of incredibly smart and savvy romance readers, as well as folks who are curious about all those fuchsia books with the tangerine skies and turquoise ruffles they used to see in the drug stores."

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

When my first novel was complete, I
sent it to an academic press. (You could do that then.) The editor
liked the book, but decided it would be better placed in a popular
press. She gave me a “for example” that I took as an actual suggestion. I called the exampled publisher, and asked for a random
editor.

The editor answered the phone. (They
could do that then.) She demanded, somewhat breathlessly, who
had given me her name. I mumbled the name of the editor at the
academic press, which seemed to calm her. Then she said,
“What's it about?” That was my chance. And this is how I blew it.

“Uh,” quoth I, “it's about life
on the US/Mexico border.”

She hung up.

If you are at all savvy about the
realities of publishing, you are laughing right now. If not, I will
spell out, step by step, why that was the stupidest thing I have ever
done. In my life.

What I Did Wrong

An editor at a major publishing
house had asked me, asked me, mind you, what my book was
about, and I came up with the above godawful lame description. After
all, my book was complex. I couldn't just sum it up at the
drop of a hat. It was about many things: peace, justice, equality,
life. Writers think like that. But editors don't. (And neither do
agents.)

Before I made that fatal call, I should
have prepared a one-sentence pitch that would have snared that
editorial fish with irresistible bait. This is what I could
have said:

“It's about a ghostly bridal gown
that walks the streets of a forgotten village, forever seeking her
lover.”

“It is about a boy who falls in love
with a mermaid in the driest desert on earth, and has to bring two
alienated communities together to win her.”

“It's about two invisible towns that
nobody can ever leave, one of which has no past, and the other of
which has no future.”

How do those compare with: “It's about
life on the US/Mexico border”? Tell me, truthfully.

What I Should Have Done

The reason you
need to perfect your pitch before you talk to people or god forbid,
before you write to them, is that the pitch forms the basis of
your query letter, your proposal, and any other form of communication
you will have about your book forever.

So, before you tell anybody that
you have written a book – agent, editor, your mother – come up
with a one-sentence summary of your book that will hook them. This,
not surprisingly, is called a hook. The hook does not have to
accurately reflect the entire concept of your book, nor does it have
to convey deep inner meanings. The only purpose of a hook is sum up
the story in a way that will pique the interest of everybody within
earshot.

The best way of coming up with a good
hook is to write one about someone else's book, or, better yet, a
movie. Ask your friends over and make a game of it. Someone picks
the book (or movie), and everyone writes down a one-sentence summary.
These are passed to the “moderator,” who reads them out loud. The
person whose hook is the least interesting (gets the most boos or
gagging sounds) has to drink a bottle of Jack Daniels. In this
Darwinian manner, those with the least successful hooks are
eliminated from the gene pool.

Or, if you have no wish to kill off your friends, you can simply go to the library, pick up a book at
random, and read the flap copy. If the first sentence of the flap
copy makes you want to read the book, stop and figure out why. Then
do that - not for your book (yet), but for someone else's. Once you
have mastered the one-sentence hook for Shakespeare, you can do it
for your own work.

The important thing to remember is,
once you've dangled the baited hook, the person on the other end will
bite. Now, you have to come up with a second sentence. Make it as
good as your first. And so on. After each sentence, anticipate what
you would say if Steven Spielberg was asking, “Then what?” and your
whole career depends on your reply. (This is what is meant by
“practice.”) Do that until you can talk for three minutes about
your book without losing Spielberg's attention. Finish it off with a
sentence that implies that your story will change the world as we
know it.

That's a pitch.

Unfortunately, I will never have
another chance to cold call an editor, but the next time someone asks
me, “What's your book about?” at least I won't be cold cocked.